Khalid al-Odah explained

Khalid al-Odah is the father of Guantanamo Bay detainee, Fawzi al-Odah, and the founder of the Kuwaiti Family Committee, a group established in 2004 to heighten global awareness of the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay.^[1] Over the past five years, Khalid has waged legal, media, and public relations campaigns to promote the need for due process for the prisoners at Guantanamo. In 2004, Khalid brought his son's case to the Supreme Court Rasul v. Bush/ al-Odah v. Bush.^[2]

Khalid is a retired lieutenant colonel in the Kuwait Air Force and has five children.^{[3] [4]} He is committed to seeking justice for his son and other detainees. Khalid lives in Kuwait City, Kuwait.

Al Odah commented on a poll on American's attitudes towards the Guantanamo detainees.^[5] The poll found that:^[6]

• Nearly 60 percent of the Americans surveyed, "...believe the prisoners being held in Guantanamo Bay should either be granted a hearing before an independent judge or be released to their home countries."
• 52 percent of the Americans surveyed, "...believe the Military Commissions Act, a new law created in October that denies "enemy combatants" the right to challenge their imprisonment in front of an independent judge, is unfair."
• Less than 20 percent of the Americans surveyed, "...believe that the detainees should be held indefinitely."

Al Odah said:^[5]

"I am heartened that so many Americans agree that my son and others in Guantanamo Bay deserve a hearing before an independent judge,"

Al Otah's son received a habeas corpus hearing before a federal judge, who ruled on August 24, 2009 that he was detained legally.^{[7] [8] [9]}

On October 28, 2011, CNN reporter Jenifer Fenton visited Khalid al-Odah's house, where she met and interviewed several former Guantanamo captives, including Fouad al Rabiah and Abd Al Aziz Sayer Uwain Al Shammeri.^[10] Fenton reported that former captives routinely met at al Odah's house for moral support.

External links

• Kuwaiti Family Committee website

Notes and References

1. http://news.amnesty.org/mavp/mediaclip.nsf/0/FF1484383724BBDF80256F8100438389 Interview with Khalid Al-Odah, father of Fawzi Al-Odah who is detained in Guantanamo Bay
2. http://www.law.duke.edu/publiclaw/supremecourtonline/certgrants/2003/rasvuni.html Rasul v. Bush & Al Odah v. United States
3. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/01/AR2006090101535.html Put My Son on Trial -- Or Free Him
4. https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-04-18-odah-case_x.htm Prisoner's father hopes courts find, fix 'big mistake'
5. http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/11-13-2006/0004473046&EDATE= Poll: Most U.S. Voters Say Guantanamo Bay Prisoners Deserve Legal Rights
6. http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/13777 Americans Disagree with Congress on Interrogation
7. News: Judge rules Kuwaiti at Guantánamo was foot soldier. 2009-09-01. Carol Rosenberg. Carol Rosenberg. Miami Herald. https://web.archive.org/web/20120303071416/http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1212415.html. dead. 2012-03-03.
8. News: Al Odah v. USA. 2009-08-24. Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. United States Department of Justice. https://web.archive.org/web/20111002160621/http://media.miamiherald.com/smedia/2009/09/01/08/alodah.source.prod_affiliate.56.pdf. dead. 2011-10-02.
9. News: Federal judge denies Al Odah Guantanamo habeas petition . 2009-09-01. Jaclyn Belczyk. The Jurist. https://web.archive.org/web/20090902054346/http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2009/09/federal-judge-denies-al-odah-guantanamo.php. live. 2009-09-02.
10. News: Former Guantanamo inmates tell of confessions under 'torture' . . 2011-10-28 . 2011-10-29 . I met Al Shammeri at Khaled Al Odeh's house, where the former detainees meet on a regular basis for support. . Jenifer Fenton . Jenifer Fenton . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20120115095445/http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/28/world/meast/guantanamo-former-detainees . 2012-01-15.